Zadok anointing Solomon, depicted in a 16th-century engraving
Part of the traditional content of British coronations, the texts for all four anthems were picked by Handel—a personal selection from the most accessible account of an earlier coronation, that of James II in 1685.[3] The text is a translation of the traditional antiphon, Unxerunt Salomonem,[4] itself derived from the biblical account of the anointing of Solomon by the priest Zadok (1 Kings 1:38-40).
These words have been used in every English, and later British, coronation since that of King EdgaratBath Abbey in 973.[5] An earlier setting is thought to have been written by Thomas Tomkins for the coronation of King Charles I in 1626, the text of which has survived but not the music.[6]
Henry Lawes wrote another for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661.[7] This was also sung at James II's in 1685, although the music may have been amended to accommodate changes to the text made by Archbishop William Sancroft.[8]
At the coronation itself on 11 October 1727, the choir of Westminster Abbey sang Zadok the Priest in the wrong part of the service; they had earlier entirely forgotten to sing one anthem and another ended "in confusion".[9]
The lyrics of the piece are biblical, being a distillation of 1 Kings 1:34-45:
Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon king.
And all the people rejoiced and said:
God save the King! Long live the King! God save the King!
May the King live for ever. Amen. Hallelujah.[10]
Zadok the Priest is written for SS-AA-T-BBchorus and orchestra (two oboes, two bassoons, three trumpets, timpani, strings with three violin parts rather than the usual two, and continuo), in the key of D major. The music prepares a surprise in its orchestral introduction through the use of static layering of soft string textures followed by a sudden rousing forte tutti entrance, augmented by three trumpets.
The middle section, "And all the people rejoic'd, and said", is a dance form in 3 4 time, with the choir singing chordally and a dotted rhythm in the strings.
The final section, "God save the King", etc., is a return to common time (4 4), with the "God save the King" section heard chordally, interspersed with the Amens incorporating long semiquaver runs, taken in turn through the six voice parts (SAATBB) with the other parts singing quaver chords accompanying it. The chorus ends with a largo plagal cadence on "Alleluia".
^"Guide to the Coronation Service", Westminster Abbey website, London, U.K.: Dean and Chapter of Westminster, 2009, archived from the original on 5 December 2010, retrieved 20 August 2009, Meanwhile the choir sings the anthem Zadok the Priest, the words of which (from the first Book of Kings) have been sung at every coronation since King Edgar's in 973. Since the coronation of George II in 1727 the setting by Handel has always been used.
